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Vale of the White Horse
Topic Started: 5 Jan 2010, 13:03 (19,368 Views)
Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'I'm glad it pleases you,' Essylt answered a little flatly. 'I am here because Gwyddien wanted to ask me some questions.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Yes. I have thought about it, and perhaps the most important thing to know would be names of Romans stationed in Two Lakes. Do you happen to know some?'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'Yes, I do.' She wondered if it would really matter if these men knew the names of the Romans in Two Lakes. Such information was quite public. 'There's Aeneas Pansa, who keeps in touch mostly about matters of economy. I haven't seen much of him lately. I think I heard something that he made a journey back to Rome. Marcus Lentulus, but I've heard that he's called Rufus sometimes. I don't actually know much about him. He was involved with the peace treaty and the building of the settlement, but I think my father kept him away a little. And there's Titius Laurentius.' She paused, looking up into three expectant faces. 'The man I'm promised to.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Gwyddien gestured to Elgued, who started scribling furiously on a scrap of paper. Then he leaned back and stroked his chin. 'Marcus Lentulus,... aye, we've heard of him,' he said. Morcant and Elgued both looked darkly at each other.
'The Tribune?' Morcant wanted to know.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'I think he may have been something like that. I don't know what it means.' There was only one thing she really wanted. To find herself a place of solitude and think about what what happening to her. Now was not the time. Elgued's dark eyes where upon her, but he was not the only one. Everyone here wanted to know what she knew.
'Your father kept him away from your household?' Gwyddien inquired.
'Yes. He seemed to be more involved with the settlement outside.'
'Or rather he tried to stop him from being more involved on the inside,' Elgued snickered.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Lentulus is starting to move around,' Morcant growled. 'You'd think a tribune would stay holed up in Rome, but he isn't and I don't like the sound of that.'
Gwyddien agreed with a serious nod. 'Is there anything you can remember having heard about him? Anything at all?' he asked Essylt.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
This man, she had never paid him much attention. It was a name sometimes mentioned, but she hadn't thought that it was a person that mattered greatly. Essylt shook her head. 'Nothing at all. I'm sorry.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'It's all right. Tell us a bit more about the man you've been promised to,' Gwyddien continued kindly.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'Um.' She felt blood rise to her cheeks. 'I suppose he is about fourty. He has been around for nearly as long as the invasion started. He's been kind to our own people, mostly...Um.' It struck her how little she really knew about the man she could well be marrying within a year. Essylt clenched her hands, remembering how ice had trailed from there. 'He is of the militay forces. Apparently he's told my father that he does not intend to go back to his homeland, though many higher ranked officers say they want to. He wished to stay here and take a local wife.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'An old goat looking for a fresh twig, is more like it,' Morcant muttered, and for once Elgued agreed with him on a matter.
Gwyddien ignored this and simply sat tapping his fingers to his lips. 'Of the military, you say. Well, it's nothing much uncommon. A man for the military and a man for the economics, and Marcus Lentulus for the people to top it all off.' He shook his head. Morcant knew the look in Gwyddien's eyes. The tribune was bad news, rumoured to be completely ruthless and nothing short of a political genius. It bode ill for them all.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'That...this really is all I know about them,' Essylt said. It seemed to make little sense to her, all the worries for a man who had hardly reared his head. But then - 'If this t-tribune is so dangerous, I want to warn my father about him.' She said if before realizing that she was still just a hostage. Essylt bit on her lip. 'I'd like to, at least.'
'Well,' Gwyddien muttered. It didn't sound like a yes, nor did it sound like a no.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'I'll have to think about it,' he said eventually. 'Your father probably has nothing to worry about yet, but we can't say for certain how long that is going to last.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Essylt made a sound, but she hardly knew what she meant by it herself. Her head seemed so full with worry that it would burst. So if all this was over and she would be home, there was still danger lurking in form of this unknown Roman man? And that was only if they'd let her go. She was hardly certain of that; there wasn't much she could tell him, and she didn't feel so talkative at all.
'Essylt?' It was Gwyddian again.
'I'm sorry,' she said. 'What is it?'
'Are you alright?'
She nodded. 'Only worried. No. I'm scared.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Gwyddien nodded to Morcant, who got up and put a hand on Essylt's shoulder. 'C'mon,' he said, 'let's get you some fresh air.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She nearly flinched when she felt his hand on her shoulder, though he had touched her before. Essylt said nothing as he led her out of the tent, but the fresh air was welcome indeed. She breathed in deeply.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Morcant led her back to the fire where she and Cuhelyn had been seated before. The bottle of water was still there. It was rather full for a flask that had allegedly been used to relieve the pain of a burn. He shrugged and poured some of the water in a cup, handing it to her. 'Take it easy, girl,' he said gruffly, but not unkindly so.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She glanced at the water, then at the bottle. 'Oh, don't worry. I'll - can I have a moment for myself? Please?'
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Sonja
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'If you want. Holler if you need me, okay?' Morcant gently squeezed her shoulder before walking off to find Cuhelyn. He had some things he wanted to ask his friend.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Essylt sighed as if the very breath of life left her. There was no denying in this anymore. She knew it.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Gwenllian had fled to the courtyard. She wanted fresh air, without being out in the open fields where she could be easily spotted. She also wanted to cry without anyone seeing it, but the servants busying themselves with their task, thwarted that desire. Now she simply walked slowly round the courtyard, braiding her hair with slightly trembling fingers. She'd have to ask Rhywallon to accompany her to the next caer, offer him more money if need me. But to do that, she had to find him first. Where could he be?
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
He had to make up his mind and do it fast. Rhywallon left the shadows of the corridor, making for the courtyard. Gwenllian no doubt had settled in already. Or not.
Wasn't that her, wandering with unsteady little steps? He frowned. Perhaps she had had a nightmare again. In either case, it was good that he spoke with her first. With little regard for the servants that stared at his face he crossed the yard, taking the girl by her arm. 'We need to talk.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
She gave a start when she felt a heavy hand land on her arm. Relief had to show clearly on her face when she recognized Rhywallon, instead of one of Higueid's men. 'Oh - yes, all right,' she said and straightened her shoulders.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'Somewhere secluded,' he muttered, looking around before pulling her into a small ally that bordered the outer wall of the caer. 'Now. Something's changed.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Oh,' she said again, her face falling. That was it, then. He had to leave that instant and all the money in the world couldn't keep him with her. Strangely enough, there were no tears that threatened to spill; just a hollow feeling in her chest. She could ask Briallen for an escort, perhaps. Gwenllian licked her lips and looked up at Rhywallon, noticing the look in his eyes. It was familiar, and rather disturbing, reminding her of the night he'd come back covered in blood. 'What happened?'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'My plan was to leave immediately.' He felt little to explain this to her. 'Now that you are settled securely. But-' His eyes trailed her face. Her eyes seemed not quite right. She should look happy, or relieved. 'What are you hiding from me?'
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Sonja
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'I'm not exactly settled securely,' she said. 'Lord Tudwrig isn't well, and has a lot on his plate with the Romans. They can't risk a war with Cavern Hill right now. But I'll be fine, they promised all the help they could offer, so I can probably get an escort to bring me to the next caer. You can go and do what you have to.' Gwenllian smiled at him and dug around in her pocket to find her purse.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
He pushed one hand against her mouth rather hard. 'Don't smile at me. I don't like being lied to.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Her eyes widened when he put his hand to her lips. It brought back some rather unwanted memories and she clenched her fists, trying to steady her breath. When she felt a little calmer - for as far as that was possible under his stern gaze -, she reached up to pull his hand away, which cost her a considerable amount of strength. 'All right, maybe I'm not exactly fine with it, but there's not much I can do about it.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'Well, you can find another escort. I'm staying here.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
It took a while before his words sank in. 'You're..staying? Why?'
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